


The Dodo’s Challenge

by Twilight_Shadow_Songs



Series: The Prison Drabbles AU [5]
Category: Original Works
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Dismemberment, Mentions of poisoning, Mind Games, massive horror elements, mentions of torture, saw like games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26833534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Shadow_Songs/pseuds/Twilight_Shadow_Songs
Summary: Dodo has been targeted by a sadistic individual in the prison. Anyone he’s somewhat on good terms with is being hurt, and he himself is now stuck in a life or death game, themed like Clue but playing out like SAW. If Dodo loses, he’s dead.This time, for good.He’s got till the end of the month to figure out who is doing this.
Relationships: Cale Hex/Rubio East, Hunter/Dante, Liam/Colin Ash
Series: The Prison Drabbles AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905916





	1. Running on Empty

“...huh.” Dodo watched his hand with interest, watching literal sparks try to piece his finger back. It wasn’t working. Not anymore, not for him. Dominic was seated beside the hospital bed, fingers steepled in front of his face. But Dodo only knew this when he looked at him. “So I finally got full again, then. Fuck.”

“What do you mean, you got full again?”

Dodo rolled his eyes. “I’m humanoid. Not human. One of the things my species can do is absorb...you lot have been calling it magic we just call it extra…..kvadescal.” Left over gunk from when everything had first made itself. 

“Your species doesn’t really look like you. I was allowed to see some of the pictures.” Dominic told him calmly and Dodo gestures his fingerless hand at his robotic arm and eye. 

“I’m a survivor first and foremost. And if a human can live without four arms, a tail and three eyes, I can. But the gland that absorbs...magic...it’s still there. How we got known for surviving any climate. Absorb kvasdescal, and allow it to adapt your body to the planet’s environment. Long as you’re full the magic works on you like it would any other person on the planet.”

Dominic watched his face before taking the hand again and observing the finger trying to fix itself and failing. “Why are you, uh, hungry then?”

“Whatever’s keeping you people alive I guess was actively trying to kill me. I’ve drained my reserves before with that. I don’t produce magic I copy it or combat it. So obviously I was combatting it. First time I never noticed though? So maybe it was more than that. Maybe it’s this reality.”

“...could they kill you now, if that’s what’s going on?”

“Depends. Would you let em?”

“My job is to have you all serve your sentences. But don’t forget, your ex still wants you to have the death penalty.”

“That’s dodgin the question, warden.”

“...yes. Yes I would.”

Dodo nodded calmly. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. 

“Do you know what keeps everyone deathless here?”

“Sorry. I was never told by the previous warden.”

Dodo nodded again. “Cool. I’m just gonna hope I don’t die, because that would suck complete ass.”

Dominic was up as well and taking him by the arm. “I should put you in the solitary. For your protection.” 

Dodo pulled away. “Fuck you. Because what if the one who did it isn’t an inmate?”

Dominic froze, and Dodo continued. “Liam ain’t shy about his many crimes. One of em he likes talkin about. He impersonated a guard to get an inmate some years back. I’m not dumb, either. This? This is a prison full of super powered freaks too bad for anywhere else. And according to some rumors, you haven’t found some of th worst ones.”

Dodo began heading to the door. 

“The best place to hide a fox from the farmer, as Liam puts it, is dress him as a guard dog and put him in the hen house.” 

“Exactly where are you going then?”

“To break Dante’s jaw for biting off my finger, like no shit? He needs to learn not to lunge for food. Little shit.”

“Absolutely not. You do and I will isolate you.”

“.....ass….”

Dodo kept his head down as he looked around the next few days. Laladae and his nephew were entirely out of his consideration. Wayland was too busy protecting his uncle and Laladae was too busy avoiding Smiles and the others. Liam didn’t trust magic as far as he could spit. Most of the fights had been over Liam ready to throw down with anyone who tried to use magic around him. Colin was cursed, probably had enough of magic, and was Dodo’s roommate. If he’d wanted to kill him he had the best opportunities. Rubio and Cale lived in each other’s pockets.

That left everyone else. 

All he had to do was figure out motive and he’d be fine.    
  


_...Right? _


	2. The Game is Afoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dodo has a game to play, his life depends on it. 
> 
> It claims he’s got choice but... he really doesn’t.

Hunter had been let out of solitary. Dodo winced every time they passed. Kid didn’t look good. At least nobody was trying anything because his reality was warping around him, and they all remembered Vince in the wall. Especially Vince. He was also back, and steering clear. The first smart thing he’d done since he’d gotten there, actually. Dominic didn’t deal with the smaller dealings, but he’d definitely tried things with each of the human inmates. 

“Does the machine in your shoulder hurt?”

“Dunno do the lanterns for eyes hurt?”

Kit asked and Dodo returned, annoyed as he was brought out of his thoughts in the library. Kit hadn’t ever talked that Dodo knew, and he sounded like water on a shore. Alluring somehow too, and with some surprise Dodo realized Liam across the room had been half out of his seat just at the voice. Dodo looked from a dazed human back to Kit.

“Ain’t you some form of siren?”

“Technically.”

“Then shut the fuck up.” 

He did not, in fact, shut up, and sat down, still talking. 

“How’d the finger get gone? We’re immortal and invulnerable in here. It’s nice.”

“What d’you mean, nice? What’d been going on with you?” Dodo asked before noticing a dazed Liam wandering over and pushed a notebook at Kit. “And seriously, go back to shutting up.”

“You’re not affected by this, I assumed it’d lost the effect.”

“It didn’t and so you need to shut up. You’re bringing the old man over here.”

“Oh,” Kit grinned, and his teeth were sharp needles of pale green. “How terrible.”

“I will break your jaw.”

Kit shrugged and began writing, breaking whatever hold he had on Liam. The older man stumbled, looked around and walked back to his chair. Dodo wondered if he guessed what had happened.

‘You aren’t affected by my voice?’

“Not right now, no.”

‘Are you worried?’

“I’ve survived like this before in an institution not unlike this prison. So yes and no. Yes because I don’t know what’s causing it. No because that one was worse.”

‘Subjective.’

“Not really.” Kit waited for Dodo to elaborate. Dodo kept his mouth shut. 

“Why’re you even here. Why’d you break your silence?”

‘A variety of reasons. Mostly Vagabond’s roommate shouldn’t have been let out of solitary yet, if the goal was to get him clean. And Laladae is a friend. He told me Vince isn’t right. Something’s off. And now your finger won’t grow back.’

Dodo nodded slowly. “Alright. Those are all odd and good observations.”

‘We’re also the violent ones’

“Hey-”

‘Spousal abuse or did you forget’

“Is something happening to you that makes you bring this up?”

Kit turned his head as fingers brushed hair to one side. Black veins spiderwebbed up along his neck, skin bruising around it. Dodo sucked in a slow breath. “Ouch. Poison?” A small nod from Kit. ‘I thought I’d ask after the finger, in case.’

“No, that’s a good reason. but...I hate to point out. Whatever’s doing it may try something worse now.”

A small pensive nod from Kit who stood. He waved goodbye. 

Dodo looked away at the sound of thuds, and saw the new librarian Halen apologizing profusely to Liam, who was on his ass and rather annoyed sounding. 

When Dodo looked back at his book, there was a small cellphone on it, with a text message. The phone was locked, but the notification said “you know the code well.”

Dodo considered. First, he typed ‘5665’ but it didn’t work. With a soft sigh, he typed ‘1471’, an old number he used to have. It used to mean something more than quiet pain. Which meant the mystery phone was either from someone who used to know him, or someone who knew his case file. 

“Hello” he typed.

“Hello.” it responded. 

“What do you want?”   
  


“I’m bored. Do you want to play?”

His eyebrow quirked up, and he settled himself in the chair, robotic arm bracing him against the table as he peered down at the phone. 

“What’s the game?”

“Clue, with a twist”

“If I win, you die”

“For good”

That was certainly cutting to the chase, wasn’t it. Obviously somebody didn’t like him, really didn’t like him. He wasn’t that surprised, he had a lot of enemies being a crime lord. Still…

“And if I win?”

“What then?”

Several pictures of Colin, Liam, Dante and Hunter in various states of drugged out distress came on screen. Then, were deleted. 

Six pictures of Dodo in distress came on screen, and were deleted. 

“I leave you and your friends alone”

“No more games, no more pain”

“Maybe”

“You have to play to see”

“Nothing better to do”

Nothing to lose, the text probably meant. Those pictures would continue. And there’d be no memory of the events. This wasn’t really a choice. Uneasily Dodo looked around before narrowing both eyes, organic and cyber, and popping his neck and wrist.

“Okay. Game on.”

“And I’m gonna win you motherfucking-” he was cut off as the lights flickered, and was half out of his seat when they became normal again a few moments later. 

The phone was gone, and a sticky note was on the desk in it’s place.

“You’re Mr. Boddy discovering his own murder, friend, the deadline is Oct. 31.” it read. 

Dodo rolled his eyes.

Mr. Boddy indeed. 

“I’m not dead yet.” he muttered, and walked out of the place with the sticky note crumpled in his fist. Liam was out. Colin out. Hunter and Dante definitely out. Vince maybe.

Kit was still in. 

Kit had been there before the phone, after all. 

Dodo closed his eyes, trying to remember how that stupid game went.

“Dodo and Liam and Halen were in the library with the cellphone.” he said, half questioning. “Kit was in the hall.”

Now to find the other weapons and suspects, right? It was barely any time at all till the end of the month.    
  


Finding out who wanted to kill him had just gotten eons more complicated.


End file.
